Features

Case for defence

New coach is using experience gained in southern hemisphere to carve out a name for himself

Peter Wilkins has taken an unusual path to become Edinburgh’s defence coach (Stuart Wallace)

EDINBURGH are a work in progress, but progress there has been. The most striking example of the improvements that have brought them to the Pro12 playoff zone, 1872 Cup success and the chance of Challenge Cup knockout rugby has been in their defence.

In 12 domestic matches, the capital club have conceded 12 tries, the second lowest total in the competition behind Leinster and Ulster with 11 in 11. Only the Belfast side and Treviso have breached the Edinburgh line more than once in a single game, a level of parsimony that has allowed Alan Solomons’ team to heave their way up the table despite themselves scoring fewer tries than anyone bar Zebre, Dragons and Treviso, the Pro12’s bottom three.

This consistent resistance sits in contrast to the past six seasons, when Edinburgh conceded an average of 2.38 tries per league game. Under Michael Bradley, they once shipped 65 in